PRESS RELEASE
BIRTHRIGHT ARMENIA
Contact: Linda Yepoyan
March 8, 2006
Tel/Fax: 610-642-6633
[email protected]
BIRTHRIGHT ARMENIA ALUM PLANS ART SHOW FOR CHILDREN OF GYUMRI
In the summer of 2005, 25-year-old Birthright Armenia participant and
Sacramento native Tamara Shahabian embarked upon a four-month journey to
Armenia to change her destiny. Little did she know that when she left
Armenia, she would begin yet another journey – to help a group of young
emerging artists from Gyumri discover their own destinies. These emerging
artists are between the ages of 4 and 20 who attend the Gyumri Aesthetic
Center, a school/orphanage promoting cultural education and development.
With classes in drawing, painting and carpet-weaving, and a dedicated
gallery displaying artwork created by children living at the Center, the
school serves as a beacon of hope for a region that still suffers from the
devastations of the 1988 earthquake.
It was during a planned excursion to Gyumri with Birthright Armenia as a
volunteer with the Armenian Volunteer Corps, that Tamara and her father,
John Shahabian, first discovered the school’s gallery of artwork. As owners
of Coffee Works, a café in Sacramento that displays and sells artwork by
local members of the community, Tamara and her father realized they had
stumbled upon something incredibly valuable. Determined to help these young
artists, they decided to plan an art show at Coffee Works featuring artwork
created by the children of the center. All proceeds from the show would
then be sent back to the school.
With the help of Birthright Armenia, the father/daughter team was able to
transport almost 50 pieces of art all the way to Sacramento. Tamara then
worked with Coffee Works art director Melinda Johnson to touch-up, preserve,
and frame each piece. The artwork, which consists of large paintings,
paper-plate pieces, religious icons, and medium-sized and miniature carpet
weavings will be displayed on March 19 and March 20, at both St. James
Armenian Apostolic Church of Sacramento and Coffee Works respectively.
`We are extremely excited about the art show and its potential to return
much-needed revenues back to Gyumri,’ says Tamara. `My main goal for the
show is to illustrate to the students and orphans at the Gyumri Aesthetic
Center that they are capable of using their talents and creativity to
generate opportunities for themselves.’
Tamara’s dedication to the upcoming Coffee Works art show provides a source
of inspiration for other diasporan Armenians. As its core mission,
Birthright Armenia is not only committed to enriching the experience of
volunteers while in Armenia, but also promotes continued connections with
Armenia even after they leave its borders. In fact, Tamara’s idea for the
art show came as part of a `promise’ she made in a Continuing Involvement
Proposal that Birthright Armenia requires of all its program participants
when they leave Armenia. Tamara’s fulfillment of this `promise’ is just one
example of the lasting impacts her journey through Armenia has made in both
her life and the lives of other Armenians.
What Tamara and her father have accomplished can only be seen as a goal in
further connecting the Diaspora with the Homeland and aiding in its
development far into the future. What they have also provided to the
children of Gyumri is a message of hope. `I want the children’s
contributions to this art show to inspire them to discover their own
strengths and learn how they can turn their strengths into career
prospects,’ she says. `I think that in some ways, Gyumri is a desperate
place, but it is so important that the children there, and all over Armenia,
remain hopeful and learn at a young age that they can control their own
destinies.’
Birthright Armenia’s mission is to strengthen ties between the Homeland and
Diaspora youth by affording them an opportunity to be a part of Armenia’s
daily life and to contribute to Armenia’s development through work, study
and volunteer experiences, while developing life-long personal ties and a
renewed sense of Armenian identity. For those interested in learning more
about Birthright Armenia, please visit or email
[email protected].